Charge and electric fields are fundamental concepts in the study of electricity. Electric fields are the regions around charged objects where electric forces are exerted on other charged objects. These fields are created by the presence of charged particles or objects. The strength of an electric field at any point is determined by the magnitude and signs of the charges present.

Consider two point charges, one positive and one negative, placed near each other. According to the law of conservation of charge, the total charge in a closed system remains constant. Therefore, if the positive charge interacts with the negative charge, both charges experience a force due to their electric fields. The force exerted on the positive charge is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the force exerted on the negative charge. This is an example of Newton's Third Law of Motion, as the forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

The electric field between the charges can be visualized using electric field lines. These lines represent the direction of the electric field at any point in space. They originate from positive charges and terminate on negative charges. The density of the field lines indicates the strength of the electric field: closer lines indicate a stronger field, while more spaced-out lines indicate a weaker field.

To calculate the electric force between two point charges, we can use Coulomb's Law. Coulomb's Law states that the force between two charges is directly proportional to the product of their magnitudes and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The formula for calculating the electric force is given by: F = k * (q1 * q2) / r^2, where F is the force, q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the charges, r is the distance between the charges, and k is the electrostatic constant.

Overall, understanding the relationship between charge and electric fields is crucial in comprehending how charges interact with one another. This knowledge helps in analyzing and predicting electrical phenomena, such as the behavior of charged particles in a circuit or the force exerted on particles in an electric field.